Street Impact wins narrowly on debut

Well-bred three-year-old Street Impact has got the job done on debut at Sandown but her trainer Robert Smerdon insists the filly has plenty more to offer.

Street Impact was well supported in Wednesday’s Sheamus Mills Bloodstock Plate (1200m), starting the $1.65 favourite but the filly was forced to work hard to fend off a couple of challengers over the final stages.

Street Impact got home by a head over Quik Nu Chic with another short half-head to Trojan Storm.

“We’ll always accept a win but I think she’s a lot better than what we saw here,” Smerdon said.

“I think there’s more to come once she gets more competent at what she’s doing.

“To see her win narrowly is a relief. But I thought she would win clearly.

“She’s out of a really, really good mare and she’s a lovely filly with good ability and hopefully she can build on today.”

Street Impact is by Street Cry out of the Group One-winning New Zealand mare Culminate who was also placed at Group One level in Australia and won a Group Two Tristarc Stakes in Melbourne.

Connections have had to wait until near the end of the filly’s three-year-old season to see her make her debut, and Smerdon believes she will stretch out and run a strong 1600m.

“I wasn’t involved in the early part of her career but she had a few injuries and a few setbacks and she has come to us this preparation,” Smerdon said.

Street Impact gave Craig Williams a win at his first city ride back from a careless riding suspension which forced him to sit out two metropolitan fixtures last week.

He started Wednesday four wins behind Beau Mertens in the Melbourne premiership.

Williams believes Street Impact has a bright future.

“Even though the margin wasn’t as decisive as what we probably thought going into it, she’s going to derive a lot from today’s experience,” he said.